Kiss Me Slowly
by Lynyrd Lionheart
Summary: Maybe it wouldn't affect her so much, if those dreams hadn't come so close to reality, if she hadn't watched Gold try to crush his heart. Post 4x11.


**AN: So, while I did enjoy the MSF, I kind of wanted to see more of a reaction from Emma. So I decided to write a fic in which we see that Emma does have a reaction. And then it turns into fluff. Title comes from the Parachute song of the same name, which is perfect for both CS and this story.**

**Kiss Me Slowly**

She wakes with a breathless gasp and reaches out for him. He's not there – of course he's not. She is in herbed at the loft and he is in his at Granny's. He's there safe and whole, but that doesn't erase the image of her dream, of seeing his heart crumblr to dust in Gold's hand, watching the light fade from his blue eyes. Remember it makes her ill, and she runs her hands through her hair, trying to make the visions of the nightmare go away.

Maybe it wouldn't affect her so much, if those dreams hadn't come so close to reality, if she hadn't watched Gold try to crush his heart. She reaches for her phone and stares at it. Tells herself she's foolish and he's fine.

She hits his name and listens to it ring. With each one that passes without an answer, her chest grows tighter. Why won't he pick up? Is something wrong? Has Gold returned and –

"Emma, Love? Is something wrong?"

And she can breathe again. His voice is hoarse and scratchy and confused, and it's clear that he was simply sleeping. Of course he was sleeping. It's two in the morning – everyone is sleeping.

"Emma?"

His voice brings her out of her thoughts, and she closes her eyes, her grip on the phone tightens.

"I had to hear your voice," she says at last, because she's determined to try this relationship thing. He almost died, and she realizes now that she needs him, weak as that makes her feel, and that means opening up. It means him opening up, too, and not keeping secrets. But that's something they'll work on. "I just… I needed to hear your voice."

There is silence on the other end, and Emma wonders if he's fallen asleep again.

"I'm fine, Swan," he finally replies, his voice soft and tender, the accent soothing. "I told you, I'm a survivor."

"But you almost didn't," she says, and hates that she can hear a sob in her words. "It took Belle and an eleventh hour miracle, and I never even knew."

"You knew something was wrong-"

"And what did I do about it? Nothing! I knew something was wrong and ignored it, so I nearly lost you!"

And that, she realizes, is the crux of what's been causing her nightmares. She was so busy saving the town and helping Elsa get back to Arendelle, that she ignored the niggling telling her that something was seriously wrong with Killian until Anna all but spelled it out for her and it was nearly too late. In her determination to give the whole damn town its happy ending, she had nearly lost her own.

Killian is silent again, and she wishes he would say something. He's the one with the magical way with words, not her. She tries to express herself and it seems to just come out flat. But for once he seems to be speechless, and so Emma tries.

"I nearly lost you. And I don't know that I could handle it. Graham, Neal… I mourned for them, and pissed off, but losing you would _destroy_ me. I'm not good at this, Killian."

"Swan-" he begins, but she's on a roll, and this is all so much easier over the phone, when he isn't looking at her, and she isn't left feeling uncertain and somehow weak under the incredible blue of his gaze.

"I love you," she blurts, and then winces. She hadn't meant for it to come out like that. It's true, of course. It has to be, or she wouldn't be so worried about him all the time, she wouldn't be having these damn nightmares. She wouldn't be so _awkward_. But a confession over the phone, no matter that it's easier that way, isn't how it was supposed to go. But now the words are out there, and he's speechless again, and Emma doesn't think she even wants to try this time, lest she make this situation even worse. "Say something."

"I'm coming over," he says, and she heard the blankets rustle as he gets out of bed.

"What?" she yelps, and then bites back a curse, because that was louder than she meant for it to be, and the loft has deceptively thin walls. "Killian, it's two in the morning and I live with my parents."

"I'm hardly coming to ravage you, Swan," he replies, his voice somewhat dry and muffled, and she can hear him getting dressed. "But you just told me you loved me, and I'd rather see your face when I say anything in return, rather than say it through this infernal talking phone."

"It's just a phone," she says, because she isn't sure how else to reply to that, and correcting him seems as safe a thing to say as any.

"Still a foolish name," he retorts, and she can picture him in her mind, shaking his head over modern technology. She blinks, not sure what to say, but it turns out a reply isn't needed.

He's hung up already.

Emma stares down at the black screen of her cell. She isn't sure what to do now. He will be there shortly, she knows, and then it will be difficult again, because she'll have to look him in the eye… but at the same time she feels an overwhelming sense of _relief_.

He'll be there soon. She'll see him with her own two eyes. She'll be able to touch him, to rest her hand over his heart, to reassure herself that he is safe and whole and _hers_.

And she probably shouldn't let him knock on the front door. David and Mary Margaret could be woken by Neal at any time, and a pirate at the front door at two in the morning… Emma simply doesn't know how they'll react to that.

So she gets out of bed to meet him in the hall. She's just barely opened the door and stepped out when he's reached the top of the stairs and comes up short when he sees her there. He's left off the vest he's taken to wearing, settling for just his shirt and leather jacket. She stares at him uncertainly. Then a slow grin curves his lips and she finds her back against the wall of the hall, his lips covering hers. She relaxes into his embrace, buries her fingers in his hair and kisses him back. _This_ is easy. Kissing him… she's never had a problem with that, and it's so much easier to put emotion into the physical than into words.

And the kiss reassures her as nothing else possibly could, because he's kissing like _him_ again. When Killian Jones kisses, he puts the whole of his heart into it, and so when he had been without that heart… his kiss had simply been _wrong_.

Now, it's so very, very _right_.

"Say it again?" he asks, pulling his lips from hers, but not moving away. She's breathing hard, and his body is still pressed to hers in so many delicious ways. But his words make her breath catch, and suddenly she's so uncertain.

It had been easy to blurt it out, because she hadn't meant to, and because he had been blocks away at Granny's. But now he's there, holding her, and Emma suddenly finds that her voice fails her.

"Emma?" he asks, looking down at her. She stares up at him, and his expressions softens, because he realizes what's wrong. Of course he does. She thinks he might know her better than she knows herself sometimes. "I can say it first."

The offer makes her close her eyes and pull him back down for another kiss. Because he's there and whole and she can.

"I love you," she breathes out when they break apart again. Now that the words have been said, she finds that she can't stop. "I love you. I love you. I love you."

He kisses her again, probably to shut her up, she thinks. But she doesn't mind, because now that she's said the words, to his face and not over the phone, she feels like a weight is off her chest. Because she loves him, and really it's the simplest thing in the world now that she's allowed herself to express it.

"I love you, too," he breathes out once they pull apart. "God, Swan, but I love you."

"I nearly lost you," she says to him, resting her forehead against his. "I nearly lost you… and you're not allowed to do that. Ever again. Promise me."

Killian's lips curve into a smile that looks almost pained, and Emma knows it's because he can't truly make that promise and keep it. He's not magical, will always be at a disadvantage when faced with it. But he presses a kiss to her forehead and then rests his against hers again.

"I promise to try," he swears.

It's as good as he can do, and Emma will accept it. She kisses him again, and feels almost like a teenager whose snuck out to make out with her boyfriend. It's an almost giddy feeling, and giddy is odd for Emma.

They finally separate when air becomes a necessity, but neither plans on staying apart for long, and they pull each other back in.

Only to be brought up short by a cleared throat.

David is in the doorway looking at them with a resigned expression, Neal resting against his chest. He must have woken up at some point, but now he's asleep again in his father's arms.

"The neighbors may complain, if they come out to that," David says, and Emma can see that part of him wants to threaten Killian, or whatever it is that fathers do, but he's restraining himself, and for that she is thankful.

"Uh… right," Killian replies, pulling away to put some space between himself and Emma. And it amuses her, that he can make so many innuendoes, even in David's presence, but as soon as they're actually caught… well, she's pretty sure he's blushing. At least a little bit. "Well, I should be going. Back to Granny's."

She doesn't want him to go, and she keeps a hold on his hand when he begins to pull away. She thinks for the thousandth time that she really needs her own place, because she wants to invite him in, but doing so in front of her father just seems… _awkward_.

"I'm going to bed," David states bluntly rolling his eyes to the roof. "And it's nearly three in three in the morning, Hook. You might as well…"

He trails off and shakes his head again, heading into the apartment without a word. Because he's not going to make Killian go, but inviting the man he caught kissing his daughter rather enthusiastically into his home is simply not something David is going to do. But he's not going to drag Emma in and slam the door shut in the pirate's face, so he decides to simply make himself scarce instead.

"Don't go," Emma says to him once her father is out of sight.

"I told you I didn't come to ravish you," Killian points out, his roguish smile curving his lips once more.

"And you won't be," Emma replies dryly. "Because the walls here are way too thin… but still. Don't go."

Killian pulls her into his arms again, kissing her so softly, so tenderly, Emma almost wants to cry.

"I'll stay as long as you wish me to," he says simply.

Emma smiles and brushes some of his hair off his face. She thinks that he may be signing himself up for forever with those words.

But for now, she'll settle for the night.

**AN: I had to include awkward Daddy!David, because that's one of my favorite things ever. Let me know what you think, and if you enjoyed this, I do have other CS fics that you could always go and check out.**


End file.
